Overlay PDF
Lay the pages of one PDF over or under the pages of another: letterheads, stamps, background grids. The document keeps its links, form fields and bookmarks. Runs in your browser.
About This Tool
Overlay PDF combines two PDFs page by page: the pages of a layer file are drawn on top of the pages of a document, or underneath them. A layer is typically a letterhead, a stamp, a watermark page or a background grid.
Over the page draws the layer on top of what the page draws and Under the page draws it beneath. A page range limits the layer to some of the pages, and with repeating switched on a layer that has fewer pages than the document starts again from its first page. The layer is fitted to the page in its own proportions and in the middle of it: a letterhead made for Letter paper keeps its shape on A4, with a narrow band left free above and below it.
The document itself is kept: its links, comments, form fields and bookmarks stay as they were, and a page that is stored on its side or cropped gets the layer the way it is read. Everything happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to Use
Upload the Base PDF
In the first box, "1. The document", choose the PDF whose pages you want to keep.
Upload the Layer PDF
In the second box, "2. The layer", choose the file to put over or under it, such as a letterhead or a stamp.
Choose How to Layer
Pick "Over the page" or "Under the page". Type a page range under "Pages that get the layer" if only some pages should get it, and leave "Repeat a short layer" on when the layer is shorter than the document.
Run and Download
Click "Apply the layer". The page says how many pages got the layer; click "Download" to save the file. Change a setting and run it again whenever you like.
Use Cases
Letterheads
Put a one-page letterhead behind or over every page of a letter or an invoice.
Stamps and Watermark Pages
Lay a page that carries a stamp, a seal or a DRAFT mark over all pages or only over the pages you list. The mark appears where it sits on the layer page: there are no controls for position, size or transparency.
Background Grids and Frames
Place a grid, a border or a drawing frame under the content of each page. It shows only where the base page has no solid background.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between over and under the page?
"Over the page" draws the layer on top, so a layer with a solid background hides the page. "Under the page" draws it beneath, so it shows only through the empty parts of the page; a scanned page, which is one picture that fills the page, hides it.
How does looping work?
Layer pages are matched to the document's pages by page number. With "Repeat a short layer" on, a 2-page layer goes 1, 2, 1, 2 from the first page of the document. With it off, layer page 1 goes on page 1 only and page 2 on page 2, and pages beyond the end of the layer are left as they are. To stamp only page 5 with a one-page layer, keep it on and enter 5 as the range.
How do I write the page range?
Write single pages and ranges with a hyphen, separated by commas, for example 1-5,8. Leave the field empty for all pages. The words odd and even can stand alone or in a list, as in 1-5, even. An Arabic comma and Arabic-Indic digits are read as well. An open range such as 5- is ignored, like anything else the tool cannot read; if nothing you type matches a page, you are told so and no file is made.